Speaks

AS WOMEN in Ireland celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8, the struggle for equal opportunities and parity with men in employment and in all social activity still goes on. For instance, there are no women miners in Ireland (there are few enough male ones either) but in America there are over 3000 women working underground. Mary Zinns, a woman miner from the USA and a member of the US Socialist Workers Party (American supporters of the Fourth International) spoke about the problems working in a ‘‘man’s ’’ job when she was ona tour organised by the Fourth International in Britain recently.

When | got hired there were just about 20 women, now there are over 30 women and 500 men at Bethlehem’s No 58 site.

Women at the mine perform all kinds of jobs, from mechanic and roof bolting to shuttle car operators and general labourers.

Most of us had to fight management to receive training and get the opportunity to run various kinds of machinery, We found that while at first, some of the men were skeptical the union and our brothers in the union have proved to be our biggest defenders against the company harassment.

Over 3,000 women are now working underground in the States. The reason women are going underground is the same reason men do— to make a living. All kinds of women have jobs in the mines: some are just out of high school and some are grandmothers: there’s married women and single women; women with children and without children; small women who weigh. less than 90 pounds and large women. It’s a very real cross section of the women who live in the coal fields. Mary Zinns — US coalminer In those coal fields where the companies have consciously kept out other industry, fewer women have jobs than in other parts of the country. The only jobs available for women are minimum wage jobs, working in a restaurant, a sewing factory or as a store clerk. Some women fought their way into the coal mines to make a decent wage.

The first women were hired in 1973. Many people at the time said that these women were stealing jobs from men and that they should stay home.

But you don’t get any discount on your rent, gas, food or electricity bill because you’re a woman. It was said that the mines were too dangerous for a woman to work in. But if the mines were too dangerous for women they were too dangerous for men. Now that women have been working in the mines, we’re establishing ourselves as a legitimate part of the work force, that we can do the work and we need the work to survive just like the men.

In 1979 the United Mineworkers of America finally recognised this, and was the first industrial union in the country to hold a national conference of its women members.

This conference reflected the fact that women were an important part of the union, and that women were accepted as co-workers by the men in the mines. It also showed that the bosses — who had not wanted to hire women in the first place — continued to harass and discriminate against women on the job and consequently one of the duties of the union assumed was to defend all its members.

Instead of the men against the women, or whites against blacks, we would all fight together against the company. immigration laws, and its discriminatory education and employment systems.

Suleman Mohammed went to Britain from Pakistan in 1966. He lives in Sparkhill, a working class area in Birmingham where the Pakistani tion of its members.

His last job was as a welder in West The Pakistani Workers Association (PWA) has so far concentrated on mation about their rights. “Black leaders, some of whom are notorious throughout Birmingham, like James Hunt, a black councillor in Handsworth, use the fact that or don’t know their rights, to get grants off government institutions for doing absolutely nothing.

BLACK COMMUNITY “The PWA is a new organisation in the black community with branches in London, Bradford, Coventry, Tipton and Nottingham. “The Sparkhill Youth Movement, initiated by the PWA, attracted 50 people to its first meeting and will be open to all youth in Sparkhill. Sports facilities, the treatment of black youth in school and employment opportunities are among the issues that the new youth movement will take up. “What does this system teach our come out of school and they can’t school for five hours and then they go bome to acompletely different Workers Association has a high propor- / Bromwich. Since that time, two years & ago, he has been unable to find work.

exposing corruption in the local community. Suleman explains: ‘Leaders,’ self-appointed ones, get a position on? a police liaison committee and then * ?

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they take bribes to give people infor¥ ee fees many black people can’t speak English ceiving.

into consideration. fight.

kids?” asked Suleman. ‘Some children read or write. Ethnic minorities go to culture and speak a different language.

laws. x “| want to see more opportunities for the ethnic community to control the education our children are re“I’m not saying that Pakistanis should be fitted into the system. I’m saying that schools in areas like Sparkhill should take our needs as a community “The PWA is making youth aware that the conflict between them and their parents often occurs because we come from different cultures and that the unfair economic system — which we hate — is what we have to Suleman has no illusions in the British Tory party. ‘The Tory party says that every individual in society should work for himself. When you breed this sort of person you have a class system where you have rich and poor. “We come into the poor category. The Tory party today represents the wealthy in this:country, not the duce, they are only aimed at poor black people ... Black people must organise themselves to fight these We agree with the Labour Party that there should be a socialist society based on equality in this country. When we look at the state of the Parliamentary Labour Party, who are all — perhaps | should say in the majority — self—interested. You can see they are being used by the wealthy of this country.’ ‘Suleman has little time for his own MP. ‘That Roy Hattersley’s a racist bastard. He’s racist and the only contact he has with the Pakistani community is with the corrupt elements.

The majority of Pakistanis are not _very well represented by Roy Hattersley in Parliament. He doesn’t even represent white workers in Sparkhill. There s a majority of people unemployed in Sparkhill. What is he doing about that? Absolutely nothing.”’

Suleman concluded by refuting the lies of the right wing in their witch-hunts in the Labour Party. ‘1 think this label ‘extremist’ the Parliamentary Labour Party put on Tariq Ali, Peter Tatchell and Tony Benn is a load of rubbish.

“Peter Tatchell said that extra-parliamentary action should take place. This parliament only serves the wealthy, all the legislation it is passing is to protect the wealthy. “People must realise that parliament is not an absolute authority — it’s not a God — it’s run by men and men can be self-interested.

“People should tell their MPs that they are supposed to represent their area and not themselves and if they are doing nothing for the people they represent — like Roy Hattersley — they should be removed.

“'d rather have Tariq than Roy any day and if he sold out we’d put someone else in to replace him.”